| The basic idea of the workshop was cutting a branch off a tree and then creating the right conditions for that branch to grow its own roots and form a new tree. This isn't always successful, but it works enough of the time that it's worth doing. And, depending on the type of tree, sometimes it's easier than growing a fruit tree from seed.
We started off with cuttings from a fig tree. They were branches that had been cut off only a half hour before the workshop. You CAN cut your branches off a tree and keep them inside a plastic bag inside ANOTHER plastic bag inside your fridge if you aren't going to plant them immediately. This simulates a dormant period for the plant and the bags help the plant retain moisture.
What's important is:
1. Don't cut off the main trunk of the tree. Choose an auxiliary branch.
2. Make sure the branch you cut has several nodes on it. A node is where another branch will grow from.
3. You may want to cut your plant on the diagonal to expose as much of the center of the branch as possible.
4. One branch can be cut into separate smaller sections that are each planted so long as each section has at least one node.
5. If your branch has leaves, remove them. The leaves lose moisture through transpiration, and you don't want that to happen while your cutting is taking root.
From there, prepare a container to put your branch in. The container must have holes in the bottom. We put some newspaper in the bottoms of our containers and then filled it up with either Perlite or Vermiculite. If you have a choice, go with vermiculite. You can buy these at any gardening store. These are spongy and fluffy and they will retain moisture but drain well.
Then - if you want - you can use some root growing hormone on the bottom part of your branch cutting. There are powders or liquids for this. We went with a powder. You pour a little bit of the powder onto the cap and then just touch your branch cutting's tip (the bottom part of the branch, not the top!) into the powder so that a light dusting of powder sticks. Again, this should be available at a gardening store. And it's not 100% necessary if you aren't into using chemicals.
From there, just stick your branch cuttings (with the bottom down) into the perlite or vermiculite. Two-thirds of the branch should be submersed in the perlite or vermiculite but not touching the bottom of the container. If your branch cutting is too long, then cut it down so it is short enough. And remember - it must have at least one node on it. You can put more than one branch into a container because ultimately you will transplant them into the ground or a pot.
Last, add water. Entirely saturate your pot with water and then let it drain. Whenever you put your finger into the vermiculite up to your first knuckle and you feel that the vermiculite is dry, add more water. You can also put your container into a dish of water. The spongy perlite or vermiculite will absorb water from the bottom. This is great because it's the bottom of the cuttings that we are worried about more than the top. Here's what my cuttings look like:
The green looking prickly ones are blackberry, the big thick ones are fig, and the thin ones are pomegranate.
I planted six figs, two pomegranates, and four blackberries because the instructor said to expect about a 25 percent success rate. My odds aren't so great on the pomegranates, but I didn't want to be selfish and there weren't enough cuttings for everyone in the class to take a big bunch.
Now, you need to put your container and your cuttings somewhere where they can take root. Do NOT put them in direct sun. Depending on the outside temperature you can keep them outside, but otherwise keep them indoors. If you want, you can put them on top of something warm (a warm stove, an electric blanket, or a TV... so long as you take care not to let water drip on your TV). This gives heat to the bottom and stimulates root growth faster. If you do that, put a plastic container over your cutting to maintain a humid environment that does not lose moisture quickly. A milk jug with the bottom cut out works well for this.
After a few weeks, check to see if your plant grew a root. It's going to be a big, beefy root - not little ones like a vegetable root. If you tug on your plant and it gives some resistance, there's probably a root there. Or you can just pull it out and check. If your plant grows leaves, that's actually NOT what you want. You want your growth happening on the bottom, not the top. The other way to know that your plant took root is if it starts growing vigorously. Once your plant takes root - it's time to plant it outside.
If you have your plant in any sort of special environment (like with a milk jug on top), you'll want to ease it into dealing with a more normal environment like what it will experience outdoors. One way to do this is to take the cap off the milk jug.
I'm sure there's much more to this topic than I've provided here, but those are the basics that I gathered from the class. I also took home a dragonfruit plant, which is actually a cacti. These are rather easy to propagate. I took cuttings for both white and red fruits. Dragonfruit plants grow up trees and they like shade. One was cut a day ago and has already healed up a bit on the bottom, so the instructor told me to plant it directly in the dirt outside and it would be good to go. The other one was cut today and they recommended to wait a day before planting it. Here's a pic:
The last thing we learned about was air layering. This is when you get the roots to grow from a branch BEFORE cutting it off a tree. You can do this to just about any type of plant - provided you're patient! - but you especially do it for plants that are hard to grow any other way. It takes MONTHS if not YEARS. The instructor recommended this for guavas, citrus, and mulberries. I found a good tutorial online if you'd like more information.
And, just for fun, here's my cat Molly making her escape when I caught her eating our orchid:
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